I’m Brett Manges & I’ve enjoyed playing the trumpet for more years than I should count. I started when I was about 11 years old, and was fortunate that my parents had the wisdom to find me a teacher right away. My teacher helped set me up with good form and fundamentals that allowed me to progress easily.
As a result of a good foundation, I became fairly good without trying all that hard. Don’t get me wrong – I practiced, and had the help of good teachers, but as I developed, I didn’t work as hard as some other trumpet players my age and had more fun with the instrument.
There are fun opportunities for young trumpet players as they develop through high school and college, and I was fortunate to be selected to a number of all-state/all-American groups that played with celebrities/professional musicians. My orchestral abilities also gave me the opportunity to sit in with the local professional symphony and again, play with internationally-known artists. My audience even included the US President on a few occasions.
From jazz festivals, to solo contests, to personal ceremonies, to recording studios… it’s all been a blast! And I made a little cash in the process… And none of it would have been possible without a good start from the beginning (thanks, mom & dad!).
Private teachers are great, but I realize that not everyone has the opportunity to meet privately with a trumpet teacher on a regular basis. That’s why I developed an inexpensive, easily-accessible program that presents the proper fundamentals to new players.
Learning to play properly is actually easier than learning bad form, and it sure makes playing your trumpet a lot more fun!